Review by Frank Plowright

5 Centimeters Per Second takes its name from the speed a cherry blossom petal falls to the ground, and was Makoto Shinkai’s second full length animated film, released in 2007. Three years later Yukiko Seike’s manga adaptation was issued in Japan.

Akari Shinohara and Takaki Tohno first meet just into their teens when she’s transferred into his class. Takaki was a newcomer the previous year, and having found it difficult to fit in himself he makes an effort with Akari. Their thoughtful personalities are similar, and a friendship develops. It’s brief, though, and Akari is soon on the move again. They intend to correspond by letter.

This introspective romance takes place over a number of years, and Seike’s very attuned to the mood and pace of the film, including the awkward pauses via wordless illustrations, and the stilted conversations. She ensures it’s an observational treat with so many subtle and memorable moments. A crucial sequence occurs when both characters are still relatively young and agree to meet at a station midway between where they now live. Experienced from Takaki’s point of view, it’s extended suspense in the film as poor conditions delay trains, and Seike adapts this over forty torturous pages. By then we’ve come to know and like both characters and readers will be willing the trains onward irrespective of the dangerous weather.

Akari wants to work with animals, and despite poor health Takaki dreams of becoming an astronaut, but distance inevitably leads to the friendship drifting. Takaki’s life is followed as he also moves, when narrative expands to encompass Sumida Sasaki, who becomes keen on the slightly older Takaki.

Shinkai’s understanding of teenage insecurities and uncertainties is wholehearted, while Seike’s illustrations have a delicacy in conveying the feelings. This all transfers to the realities of adult life where communication hasn’t become any easier for Takaki. His captions pour out his thoughts and feelings, but he can’t vocalise them. Small moments have intense power, one occurring on another train, yet women can’t help being drawn to Takaki’s vulnerability, even knowing to an extent that he’s somewhere beyond reach. It’s terribly sad in places.

To state the obvious, a graphic novel differs from a film. The colour is lost, but so is a slightly cheesy soundtrack not ideally suited to the mood. However, the film was relatively short at an hour, and the graphic novel includes scenes not in the film. It would take someone able to read Japanese to be certain, but it’s unlikely extra material would feature without Shinkai’s permission, so it seems additional scenes were written, but never filmed. The bittersweet ending remains, but doesn’t finish the graphic novel. Instead there’s an extended epilogue switching back to Sumida, also yearning and unfulfilled, and catching up on her life after Takaki left her hometown. The actual final pages are elusive, suggesting without confirmation, and so unsatisfying.

Does Shinkai believe in destiny? Perhaps.